Metal frame structure.



E. AI CLARK.

METAL FRAME STRUCTURE.

APPLICATION mED 1AN.20. |913.

l, 169,461. Patented Jan. 25, 1916.

. Il I, mm nur i [y 4 EIMER A. CLARK, 0F JULIET, ILLINOIS.

l METAL FRAME STRUCTURE LIGQASI.

Specification of LettersPatent.

Patenten aan. 25,1916.

Application led January 20, 1913. Serial N o. 743,041.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, ELMER A. CLARK, citizen of the United States, residing at Joliet, in the county of Will and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Metal Frame Structures, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the construction of metal frames of a rigid character adapted for ilse as shelves when combined with wires or other frame filling means.

The especial object of my present invention is to provide a rectangular frame made up of angle-barsv joined together at their ends without using rivets, bolts or welding.

In the accompanying drawing, I have illustrated a preferred manner of constructing a frame according to my invention in the following views Figure l is a plan view of my improved frame; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view yshowving in perspective one' of the joints of the frame; Fig. 3 1s a fragmentary sectional view of the joint shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a plan view showing my improved frame combined with wires to form a shelf.

Referring tothe details of the drawing,

it will be seen that the frame is made up entirely of angle-bars, the numerals 5,- 5, representing the side members and 6, 6,y the end members of a rectangular structure of parallelogrammatic shape.

At each end of the bars 5, one branch or wall of the an le is notched or cut away as at 5, to provi e a snug fitting seat for the adjacent wall of the other bar 6 which extends at right-angles to the notched branch of the bar 5, when the members are assembled. Said notch is` so formed and proportioned that the shoulders left thereby fit squarely the wall of the member seated in said notch so that the fiat outer surface of the bar 6 is flush with the edge of the bar 5, as shown in Fig. 3. The ends of the bar 6 are correspondingly notched to receive the bar 5 as shown at 6, Fig. 2. Near the ends of the bars 6, and in the notched walls thereof, are punched slots of rectangular shape, to recelve the lugs 5h on the ends 'of the notched walls of the bars. These lugs are slightly longer than the thickness of the walls which they penetrate, thus leaving some metal projecting which is headed over to blnd the members together.. As all the notches and lugs are cut to produce right angled edges and as the angle-bars have true rlght-angled walls, it will be obvious thatthe interfitted portions will coperate to maintain the assembled members in the desired right-angled relation.

The frame structure above described is convertible into a shelf or analogous article, by the application thereto of one or more cross-bars 7, the ends of which are seated and secured in suitable openings in the bars 5, and by wires 8,-which are strung longitudlnall-y of the frame, passing through suitable notches 7a in the bar 7 and have their ends secured in any approved manner in suitable holes 6b in the end bars 6.

If desired, the cross-bar 7 may have its ends cut to form tongues identical with the tongues 5b, to fit corresponding holes in the walls of the members 5, as indicated at 7b.

Having thus described .my invention, what I claim as new, is

1. A joint comprising two angle bars wherein the end and side of a iiange of onemember is recessed to receive the flanges of the other member, one edge of one flange of the second mentioned member is recessed to receive the unrecessed iange of the firstmentioned member, and one of said members provided with a tongue adapted to engage an aperture in the adjacent portion of the other member.

2. A corner joint consisting of two angle bars, 5 and 6, a portion of the end edge and bottom edge of the vertical ange of the bar 5 being cut away, a tongue extending therefrom, a portion of the top of the vertical flange of the bar 6 being cut away, said vertical iange being provided with an aperture to receive said tongue, the horizontal flange of the bar 5 engaging the cutaway portion of the vertical flange of the bar 6, the vertical and horizontal flanges of the bar 6 coperating with the out away portions of the vertical fiange of the bar 5.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

.ELMER A. CLARK. Witnesses:

CHAS. L. LANG, AUGUST BEL'rzNER. 

